Zagitova’s “Close-up Shot with Masaru” Released, Fans Have Mixed Feelings

Alina Zagitova of Russia, who won the gold medal in women’s figure skating at the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics, continues to update her newly started Russian social networking site, Telegram. She delighted her fans with photos, including one of her in a gray sweatshirt with her dog, Masaru. She also uploaded other videos of her mooching off Masaru.

Zagitova, an influencer with 1.13 million followers on Instagram, is now “evacuating” to Telegram.

This is believed to be due to the Russian authorities’ announcement that they are shutting down Instagram from the country. Since the invasion of Ukraine, the country has been tightening its control of information, and in the case of Instagram, the government has responded to the fact that the operator, Meta, has allowed posts calling for violence against Russia. The country is said to have 60 million Instagram users, and this is likely to have a major impact.

Russia’s blocking of Western social media will further deepen the country’s international isolation. Many Western companies have already decided to shut down or withdraw their operations in Russia, and there are concerns that the lives of ordinary citizens will be disrupted in a variety of ways.

Against this backdrop, Zagitova recently wrote, “It is very important for me to stay in touch with you!” and posted a message in Japanese on Instagram, calling on Japanese fans to use Telegram.

Zagitova, known as a pro-Japanese person, fell in love with an Akita dog during her stay in Japan before the gold medal-winning PyeongChang Olympics, and the Akita Inu Preservation Society donated a female Akita dog to her. She was named “Masaru” (meaning victory). With Masaru, Zagitova visited the Japanese Ambassador to Russia and his wife in January this year, and reported on her Instagram that they had a friendly meeting. She dared to post this announcement in Japanese as well, showing her consideration for her Japanese fans.

In the midst of the chaotic situation, it must be nice for fans to be able to confirm Zagitova’s safety in this way. However, their feelings of not being able to communicate freely must be complicated. …… We can only hope that she will be able to communicate freely again as soon as possible.